Elections

Question 1

Which amendment lowered the voting age to 18?

Answer 1

26th Amendment

Question 2

Who was allowed to vote after the founding?

Answer 2

White men over 21
Some states had property requirements

Question 3

What is the turnout in presidential elections?

Answer 3

Approx. 60%

Question 4

What is the turnout in Congressional mid-term elections?

Answer 4

Approx. 45%

Question 5

What is the turnout for local elections?

Answer 5

As low as 10-20%

Question 6

How is turnout calculated?

Answer 6

Number of people who vote divided by the number of people allowed to vote
Denominator causes some issues

Question 7

What is the purpose of voter registration?

Answer 7

Introduced in 1890
Purpose to discourage fraud and corruption
At the time it was also set up to discourage blacks and immigrants from voting

Question 8

How does the registration process disadvantage certain people?

Answer 8

Registration office often only open on weekdays-people have to take time off work
Often far out the way so have to be able to drive
Disadvantages poorer people
Also voter ID laws used to discourage voter Fraud but ends up discouraging people from voting

Question 9

What was the motor-votor bill?

Answer 9

Bill Clinton in 1993
Meant people could register when you get your drivers licence
Also automatically registered for next election at current registration

Question 10

How many eligible unregistered voters in the US?

Answer 10

45 million
Mainly aged 18-29

Question 11

When did the US adopt the Australian ballot method?

Answer 11

End of 19th century
All candidates written on 1 piece of paper, secret ballot so no intimidation

Question 12

What were the McGovern Fraser reforms?

Answer 12

1968 democratic national convention
Made it so that all delegate selection procedures were required to be open; party leaders could no longer handpick the convention delegates in secret

Question 13

Drawing electoral districts

Answer 13

Census taken every 10 years
States redraw district on basis of the census
Gerrymandering can occur though, drawing electoral boundaries to favour one party or groups

Question 14

What’s an initiative?

Answer 14

Where a certain number of registered voters sign a petition which can force the government to choose either to enact a law or put it to a referendum

Question 15

What’s a recall election

Answer 15

Where voters can remove an elected official from office through a referendum before their term has ended

Question 16

What is a primary?

Answer 16

Election before an election to help party narrow list of candidates, takes place at all levels of US elections

Question 17

What are delegates?

Answer 17

Represent the interests of group of people within a party, voting on their behalf at the national convention

Question 18

How do the Democrats reward their delegates?

Answer 18

Use a proportional method
Assigning them to presidential nominees based on % of support throughout primaries and caucuses

Question 19

How do the Republicans award their delegates?

Answer 19

Use ‘winner takes all’ approach
All states delegates are awarded to candidate with most votes

Question 20

Pledged and bound delegates:

Answer 20

Pledged- Democrats
Bound- Republicans
Delegates who are required to vote for candidate the won the most votes in primaries and caucuses

Question 21

Unpledged and unbound delegates

Answer 21

Unpledged- Democrats
Unbound- Republicans
Not required to vote for specific delegate at national convention, aka superdelegates
Result of Hunt Commission in 1982

Question 22

What is an open primary?

Answer 22

A voter can vote for either, but not both parties

Question 23

What is a closed primary?

Answer 23

Voter can only vote for the party with which they are registered

Question 24

What is a semi-open primary?

Answer 24

Unregistered voter can vote for either party but registered voters have to vote for the party with which they are registered

Question 25

What are caucuses?

Answer 25

People meet and confirm their vote in public, usually by a show of hands
Normally only registered voters

Question 26

Which states still use caucuses?

Answer 26

Nevada
Wyoming
Iowa
North Dakota

Question 27

Frontloading of primaries

Answer 27

Early primaries have lots of influence so everyone wants to be early

Question 28

When and what is Super Tuesday?

Answer 28

When majority of delegates are decided
2016- 1st March
2020- 3rd March

Question 29

What happens at the national convention?

Answer 29

Final presidential nominee is decided after delegates have casted their votes
Presidential nominee also announced who they will choose to be their Vice President

Question 30

Which article of the constitution outlines the Electoral College?

Answer 30

Article II Section 1

Question 31

How are the number of electors per state calculated for the electoral college?

Answer 31

Number of House of Representative seats + 2 (Number of representatives in the Senate)

Question 32

How many electoral college voted do you need to become president?

Answer 32

270
Winner takes all system, can have majority in EC but not in the country as a whole
Clinton had nearly 3 million more votes than Trump

Question 33

How much did the US spend in the 2020 election?

Answer 33

$14 billion!!!!

Question 34

How long have PACs been around for?

Answer 34

Since 1940s
Given new impetus in Federal Elections Campaign Act 1972

Question 35

What is a Political Action Committee (PAC)?

Answer 35

A political committee to raise and spend money to elect and defeat candidates
A PAC has to be set up to handle any political donations

Question 36

What happened with the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

Answer 36

2002
Tried to place restrictions on the use of PACs but it was unsuccessful

Question 37

What is a Super PAC?

Answer 37

Type of 527 group
Can spend only on ‘independent expenditures’
Must disclose spending amount but this amount is not limited by law

Question 38

What is 501(c)(4)

Answer 38

Supposed to be primarily social welfare organisations but can spend on campaign activity as long as:
Disclose what is spends but doesn’t have to disclose donors